An Etymological Dictionary of the German Language/Laib

by Friedrich Kluge

Laib, m., ‘loaf,’ from MidHG. and OHG. leip (b), m. (early OHG. hleib), ‘bread.’ It is the earlier Teut. term for the modern Brot, which is unknown to Goth., and almost so to AS. Comp. Goth. hlaifs (gen. hlaibis), AS. hlâf, E. loaf; to these Goth. gahlaiba and OHG. gileibo, m., ‘companion,’ are allied; comp. Kumpan. E. lord, from AS. hlâford (Goth. *hlaibwards), ‘lord,’ lit. ‘bread guardian,’ as well as E. lady, from AS. hlœ̂fdige, ‘domina’ (lit. ‘bread distributor’), contains HG. Laib in the compound; comp. E. Lammas (Aug. 1), from AS. hlafmœsse, ‘bread-feast as a sort of harvest thanksgiving festival.’ These primit. compounds prove the great antiquity of Laib and the more recent origin of Brot. Slav. borrowed its chlěbŭ, ‘bread’ (whence Lith. klëpas, Lett. klaipas, ‘bread’), from an OTeut. dialect (the OTeut. word being also found in Finn. and Esthon. — Finn. leipä, Esthon. leip, ‘bread’). See Lebkuchen.